BlackJack Advanced Strategy

Card counting

Read More About Blackjack Strategy

Counting cards is a way for players to increase their edge over the house. The goal of card counting is to account for the cards that have already been dealt, or are remaining in the deck, so you know how to place your next bet. Effective card counting also allows you a better understanding of your odds as the deck size diminishes. Card counting will enable you to know how to adjust your bets so that you can exploit your advantage, or when to leave the table to save your bankroll when the cards are not in your favor.

Although not illegal in casinos, card counting is highly discouraged and casinos reserve the right to remove or ban suspected counters. Don't worry about being ejected from the casino as the practice is merely frowned upon because it decreases the house advantage, which will in turn decrease the casinos' profits. Casinos are in the business of making money and they can't afford to accept any practice that allows players to have an advantage over them.

The reason counting cards works is because it gives you a real time calculation of your odds. Once a card is dealt, it most certainly will not show up again until the deck is reshuffled, unless you are playing multiple decks. A common counting technique such as the high-low counting system involves giving each card a set value. This value does not coincide with the value of the cards in the game, for example, a 6 is given a value of +1, not six. Cards 2 through 6 are given the value of +1, 7 through 9 are given a value of 0, and all 10-value cards are valued at -1 with this system.

The tricky part is when you start keeping track of the cards. You cannot have a pad and paper handy at the Blackjack table, which means you have to keep a running total of the cards as they're dealt. For practicing, this is the best way to go, but at a casino, the physical characteristics that this method requires will draw unwanted attention. Instead of watching as the cards are dealt, take note of the cards and their value while they are in play. This looks more natural, yet it will still give you a legitimate opportunity to count the cards.

The only way you can count cards and look like a relaxed Blackjack player is through practice. Check out the high-low counting chart below and commit each card value to memory. Deal cards for a table of players, or recruit other card-playing friends for practice games. The more comfortable you are counting cards, the better you will become.